title: UK population norms for the modified dental anxiety scale with percentile calculator: adult dental health survey 2009 results.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A recent UK population survey of oral health included questions to assess dental anxiety to provide mean and prevalence estimates of this important psychological construct.
  
  
  METHODS
  A two-stage cluster sample was used for the survey across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The survey took place between October-December 2009, and January-April 2010. All interviewers were trained on survey procedures. Within the 7,233 households sampled there were 13,509 adults who were asked to participate in the survey and 11,382 participated (84%).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The scale was reliable and showed some evidence of unidimensionality. Estimated proportion of participants with high dental anxiety (cut-off score = 19) was 11.6%. Percentiles and confidence intervals were presented and can be estimated for individual patients across various age ranges and gender using an on-line tool.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The largest reported data set on the MDAS from a representative UK sample was presented. The scale's psychometrics is supportive for the routine assessment of patient dental anxiety to compare against a number of major demographic groups categorised by age and sex. Practitioners within the UK have a resource to estimate the rarity of a particular patient's level of dental anxiety, with confidence intervals, when using the on-line percentile calculator.
authors.affiliation: Health Psychology, University of St Andrews, Scotland, UK.
authors.forename: Gerry
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Humphris
authors.forename: John R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Crawford
authors.forename: Kirsty
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gilbert
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Freeman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001499:Bayes Theorem; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D016854:Dental Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D003753:Dental Health Surveys / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008347:Manifest Anxiety Scale / Q000592:standards*; D009862:Online Systems; D015995:Prevalence; D011594:Psychometrics; D012016:Reference Values; D012737:Sex Factors; D012923:Social Class; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology